WCA May 2007

Industry News

Second hot-strip rolling mill for China Metals Technologies (MT), a division of the Siemens Group Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S), received another order from Tangshan Guofeng Co Ltd, China, to equip its second hot-strip rolling mill at the Tangshan location with automation technology. This includes all basic and process automation as well as the visualisation system. A new strip-cooling model, which is also part of the scope of supply, enables the efficient production of high-quality steels. Commissioning of the automation equipment of the new rolling mill is scheduled for January 2008 and the first coil is to be produced at the end of March 2008. Tangshan Guofeng Co Ltd, located in Hebei province around 200km to the east of Beijing, operates a production com- plex the capacity of which is to be doubled from a current 4.4 million metric tons of crude steel to 8.8 million metric tons in the next few years. A new rolling mill will be installed with a rolling capacity of up to three million metric tons of hot strip per year and will be capable of rolling strip with thicknesses up to 1,430mm. Siemens is supplying the basic and process automation for the reversing roughing stand equipped with a hydraulic edger, a coil box, the seven-stand finishing train with work- roll shifting and bending equipment, the laminar-cooling section and the two coilers, including coil conveyor. The technological control systems and the process models for the individual mill sections are also included in the scope

of supply. Integrated HMI (human machine interface) systems with easy-to-use process and plant diagnostic functions will facilitate plant operation. A central feature of the automation solution is the new strip- cooling model of Siemens, which is based on a physical description of the thermodynamic processes during cooling. The calculation of temperature characteristic curves and phase components along the entire strip is carried out in real time. The current data is sent to a model-predictive cooling-line control system. As a result, precise monitoring of the entire strip cooling procedure over time is possible. This not only ensures constant quality for the whole strip, the required metallurgical properties of the steel can also be reliably achieved within tight tolerances. This enables the efficient production of high-quality steel grades. All of the components and systems to be used are part of the integrated Siroll HM solution for hot-rolling mills. The automation system is characterised by its high degree of standardisation. This ensures rapid production start-up and high plant availability. Siemens is also responsible for the installation of the supplied systems and supervision of the work as well as for commissioning. The mechanical equipment and the drives – mainly Siemens components – for the hot-rolling mill will be provided by domestic Chinese companies.

Siemens – Austria

Fax : +43 732 6980 3131

Website : www.siemens.com/metals

Tenova receives order for walking beam furnace Italy’s Tenova Loi Italimpianti (formerly Techint Technologies) designs and supplies advanced technologies, products and services for the metal and mining industries. Thyssenkrupp Steel AG, Germany, has awarded the company a contract for the engineering, fabrication, erection and commissioning of one bilateral heated walking beam furnace for its hot strip mill in Bochum. The furnace is designed for a capacity of 250t/h to heat up slabs with different qualities, and is equipped with FlexyTech ® Low-NOx high speed and roof radiant burners. The new furnace will be connected in series with three existing furnaces, in order to increase the mill load capacity and fulfil the highest conditions in terms of homogeneity of temperature, scale losses, efficiency and emissions control. The start-up of the complete equipment will be in February 2008. Tenova Loi Italimpianti – Italy Email : marina.landi@it.tenovagroup.com Website : www.tenovagroup.com

Candor Sweden AB expands USA business

Candor Sweden AB, provider of surface treatment equipment for the wire industry, has announced that it will be represented in the USA, Canada, Central and South America by Bulk Chemicals Inc, USA. Candor Sweden supplies both single- and multi-strand systems for ferrous and non-ferrous materials, and has provided more than 300 plants for different applications of surface treatment of wire worldwide. Plating – for electrolytic plating of brass, copper, chromium, nickel, silver, tin and zinc on ferrous and non-ferrous wire; Cleaning – single- and multi-strand cleaning systems with bipolar electrolytic degreasing and ultra- sonic cleaning, or a combination of both technologies; • • Candor Sweden AB – Sweden Fax : +46 1112 6312 Email : info@candorsweden.com Website : www.candorsweden.com Applications covered by the company’s range include:

Pickling – single- and multi-strand pickling lines using hydrochloric or sulphuric acid in line with hot dip galvanising, phosphating and electroplating; Phosphating – single- and multi- strand phosphating plants; Candojet HW – patented high speed hot water cleaning system for high wire speeds; Copperjet – high speed copper coating unit for CO 2 welding wire using the company’s own product – the Inhibitor E1; Bead wire – high speed bronze coating for the automotive industry. Bulk Chemicals has a wide pro- gramme of chemicals and lubricants for the wire industry. Its range of products incorporates new polymer and traditional zinc phosphates, zinc phosphate replacements, drawing soaps and pre-coats for carbon and stainless steel wire. • • • • • Bulk Chemicals Inc – USA Fax : +1 610 926 6125 Email : info@bulkchemicals.us Website : www.bulkchemicals.us

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Wire & Cable ASIA – May/June 2007